Another benefit of open source is that its presence provides a competitive pressure on fee based services and applications.
Christie Mason
Posts made by Christie Mason
Probably the biggest benefit of open source, that I rarely see discussed, is how it creates a community. Take a look at any popular open source application and you'll find a community. The application provides a camp fire community for people to come together with a common interest. If enough people are attracted, then a culture is created. A culture that is dependent on and focused on keeping that application alive.
Some of the saddest forum entries I've ever read were in abandoned open source projects "is anyone there, why doesn't anyone reply?"
Christie Mason
Some of the saddest forum entries I've ever read were in abandoned open source projects "is anyone there, why doesn't anyone reply?"
Christie Mason
I think you've identified one of the biggest barriers to OSS. There are so many of them that it's very, very difficult to find the minority that are robust, supported, evolving.
Thanks for the link to CMS Academy, it'll be interesting to see how they use the product to support helping others learn how to use the product. I do a lot of delving into eLearning tools and, so far, haven't convinced anyone to give up expensive, bloated LMS/LCMS applications for a CMS, esp an OSS CMS, maybe this will become the reference site to prove my point that it's possible. But, she said with her tongue firmly in her cheek, unless you have some "Next" buttons embedded in the learning modules, I don't think trainers will recognize that you're supporting learning.
Christie Mason
Thanks for the link to CMS Academy, it'll be interesting to see how they use the product to support helping others learn how to use the product. I do a lot of delving into eLearning tools and, so far, haven't convinced anyone to give up expensive, bloated LMS/LCMS applications for a CMS, esp an OSS CMS, maybe this will become the reference site to prove my point that it's possible. But, she said with her tongue firmly in her cheek, unless you have some "Next" buttons embedded in the learning modules, I don't think trainers will recognize that you're supporting learning.
Christie Mason
I'm still looking for benefits to present to trainers in words they will understand.
These are two of the barriers I've seen.
1. Using scripts/frameworks that aren't supported by their IT departments. Medium size businesses don't have enough IT to go around so I initially thought open-source might be a way for the training dept to break free of that tyranny. Nope, too hard to install and maintain unless you use a hosted/ASP solution and those are one trick ponies.
2. Attitude - there seems to be an almost prideful stance in many OSS applications of being difficult to install and maintain. It puts up a big stop sign that says "only tech wonks may pass through these sacred portals" and trainers are far from being tech wonks.
These are two of the barriers I've seen.
1. Using scripts/frameworks that aren't supported by their IT departments. Medium size businesses don't have enough IT to go around so I initially thought open-source might be a way for the training dept to break free of that tyranny. Nope, too hard to install and maintain unless you use a hosted/ASP solution and those are one trick ponies.
2. Attitude - there seems to be an almost prideful stance in many OSS applications of being difficult to install and maintain. It puts up a big stop sign that says "only tech wonks may pass through these sacred portals" and trainers are far from being tech wonks.
Yes, you can get a hosting site with DotNetNuke for $6.95 a month with full MS SQL support and all the other usual services. But, every application needs some type of "fiddling" so if you can't easily install a matching framework on a local development machine, you're hosed.
Maybe the announcement that MS is going to support PHP will change some of that, but at this point I can't tell if MS is only pretending to appear more open to OSS or if it's just another FUD ploy.
Christie Mason
Maybe the announcement that MS is going to support PHP will change some of that, but at this point I can't tell if MS is only pretending to appear more open to OSS or if it's just another FUD ploy.
Christie Mason